An opinion piece in El Defensor Chieftain appeals to ancient precedent  at the suggestion the the U.S. elections in November might be postponed. Inter alia:

And last, postponing or canceling the election of the president sets a dangerous precedent for the future. The suggestion is that we give one man, Tom Ridge, the power to decide whether or not there should be an election, and when it might become safe to have one. All this power would rest with one man, contrary to the Constitution, history and founding principles of this nation.

At the end of the Roman Republic, elections were cancelled and leaders kept in office longer than their terms due to "national emergencies." Lucius Cornelius Sulla and Gaius Marius both postponed elections and set precedents that allowed Julius Caesar and Caesar Augustus to kill the republic. Rome became ruled by emperors.

Clearly this is a bad idea. Let's not let history repeat itself.

6:51:31 AM    

3.00 p.m. |DTC|The Grasp of Empire
Rome's legacy of trade, roads, and architectural and psychological
infrastructure relied on a fragile alliance of slaves, peasants, and
the provincial. The glory years of the Roman conquest led to the
longest period of peace the world has ever known.

4.00 p.m. |DTC|The Cult of Order
Roman culture still weaves influence through western art,
architecture, medicine, and urban planning. This enormous empire was
a reflection of the multicultural world it encompassed, as excellence
gave way to excess and decline.

5.00 p.m. |DTC| The Fall
From the reign of Diocletian to the sack of the Eternal City in 410
A.D., abusive political elite, complacent military, and an eroding
cultural identity placed the Roman empire in an inexorable decline.

DTC = Discovery Times Channel

6:31:08 AM